The Extraordinary Joe
by Midori Konbu
Summary: Last chapter up! Like watching those reality TV show? how about being in it? Kaoru's first hand experience, teaching her that show biz' world isn't just about money. AU.
1. Chapter 1

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Short Summary: Like to watch those reality show? Well, how about if you're in it? Kaoru's firsthand experience teach her, that the show biz's not just about money...

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THE EXTRAORDINARY JOE

Chapter I

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" **_Atarashii doa akete shiranai basho e dete  
shimatte mo watashi wa watashi da to ii kiru kara  
soko ga donna basho demo ikinuite miseru yo  
isshou ni ichido no tatakaiidomu tame.." _**

**_Signal – Ayumi Hamasaki_**

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His hand flicked through the numerous photos, all professionally arranged within the black leather filing system. 

"Rather hard to decide, isn't it?…", a female voice sounded amused.

"Hnn…"

A particular photo stood out from the rest, revealing beautiful features of a girl. _Well, there was something about her that looked different…_

Soon a number of photos were finally stashed out from the file. Turning them over, he concluded with authority, "I choose these..", the girl nodded, collecting the stashed out photos.

"This time around, the show will turn out to be very interesting…". He added, smirking.

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Kamiya Residence 

A dark-haired shadow was seen tip-toeing past the darkened rooms carefully, her eyes roamed freely across the rooms. Clad in her sleeping yukata, she let out a deep breath.

'_Hmm.. everyone seems to have drifted to sleep_… '

Her slender feet brought her in front of the study room. She was perky and wide-eyed at such a late hour, for a very good reason, and only she knew what the reason was. Sitting down in front of the old wooden desk that once belonged to her father, she opened one of the drawers slowly, taking out a crisp white envelope, her fingers fumbled with the glued side deftly. She extracted a piece of white paper from the envelope, and suddenly her heart beat pumped faster as she scanned the black-inked writing of neatly scribbled kanji characters. Her eyes widen as realization dawned on her.

_Oh my goodness, all those incessant tries were not a waste of time after all!_

She wanted to shout… yell.. heck, she wanted to leap off the chair and do a silly dance..

Instead, she found herself clamping her mouth shut and bit her bottom lip to prevent excited shrill from being poured out from her lips. She was wincing now due to the pressure as she bit her lip to tamp her excitement down. Re-reading the letter once more, she soon tucked it away into the trusty ol' drawer, and locked the drawer with a fateful click.

'_Now_, her mind whirled, _let's work out_ _how to break this news to the guys gently… gently, with a capital G'_.

She couldn't sleep that night, turning around and tossing uncomfortably on top of her futon. The chilly autumn weather didn't make her want to snuggle up beneath the covers and closed her eyes. On the contrary, it was close to three a.m. in the morning, yet her azure orbs glinted with a renewed anticipation.

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A few days later 

"Oyy.. Busu, wake up! It's time for training! Jeez… you're really turning into a pig!", Yahiko yelled outside of kaoru's bedroom door.

_No answer._

He frowned. "Busu… Kaoru.. wake up!", this time he knocked loudly.

_Still no answer._

Hesitantly, the teenager slid open the shoji door, revealing a very empty room, only a neatly folded futon was in sight. "Oy, Kaoru..?"

His eyes bulged out, "Ka…o..ru!", and stepped into the room. "Drat! Kenshin has just gone out to get daily supplies, and Kaoru went missing!"

_'Wait, she might be in the bath house'_, his mind reasoned. With that in mind, he spun around, but not before he noticed a small piece of paper propped on top of her desk. "Hmm… a note?".

"_Kenshin, Yahiko… I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you earlier, but I'll be gone for a little while… I'll be back in a few week's time. Don't worry, I take all the necessary safety precautions. And oh, while I'm away, please take care of the house. Love, Kaoru"._

Yahiko paled at reading the note. _What safety precautions?_ His sister, the tanuki, is well known for being such a sloppy, unorganized being!

_'Drat, I better look for Kenshin, and quick!'_

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A/N: This was intended to be an entry for Shi-Sha's one-shot competition... but I finished it a little too late.. oh well.. please tell me what you think. This is the longest one shot I've ever written (that's why I decided to make it into 3-4 chapters..) 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Purely for fun..

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**The Extraordinary Joe**

**Chapter II**_

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_

_Meanwhile…_

_"So much for trying to break it gently to the guys… I just couldn't face them..", __she sighed, her mind pre-occupied with what would happen to Kenshin and Yahiko when they found her note. 'Would they be panicking?'. _

_Another horrifying thought flitted across her mind.. 'I really hope they won't watch TV at all this __month…'_

_"__Miss Kamiya?" __A feminine voice called up her name. Kaoru jerked up and forced a stiff smile on her face. __"Hai..", she replied meekly._

_"Please proceed through..", the lady gestured toward a closed door._

_"Pleased to meet you, Kamiya-san… Congratulations on your first round acceptance. My name's Kamatari, your guide around this place. You're the last one to have arrived in this place", a slim lady around her late twenties came up to greet her._

_' The last one to arrive in this place? I was lucky I could make it here tonight at all… after all Tokyo and Kyoto was a half day travel by train…'"_

_"Well, since you look tired, let me escort you to your bedchamber. You better rest early tonight, for we'll be very busy this week.. y'know", she winked playfully at Kaoru. "Oh, right now? but I haven't seen the others..", Kaoru replied hesitantly. Kamatari grinned, "Why.. you want to know your competitors already? You'll see them soon enough anyway.. in fact, you'll see them first thing tomorrow morning"_

_"Here we are…", Kamatari motioned toward her room. Kaoru swallowed nervously as her eyes roamed around the lavishly decorated room_

_This is… crazy! This room's bigger than her kitchen, dining and bedroom combined together!…_

_Putting down her small hand bag, she voiced out, " Er, Kamatari-san.. are you sure this is my room?"_

_Kamatari chuckled at seeing her apprehension. "Why.. of course this is your room. Make yourself feel at home. I'll wake you up at eight tomorrow for your first session", she voiced out._

_"Oh… ah, alright then..", Kaoru sheepishly replied._

_'This__ room should be enlisted as the eight wonders of the world'_, Kaoru thought, awed at seeing the first class, opulent surroundings. She peeked out of her bedroom window.. '_and with a view to die for, too!' _The splendor of Kyoto's night scape captivated her immensely.

Soft silk quilt cover, plump pillows, plush carpeted bedroom, and a huge expensive-looking wardrobe, stood proudly at one corner of the spacious room. Complete with its very own Jacuzzi bathtub, merging traditional and modern style of décor altogether. An artfully arranged bouquet of jasmine and freesia was displayed atop a dark mahogany desk, giving off pleasant fragrance that wafted in the air, soothing her tiredness. Kaoru's eyes fleetingly swept the whole room in glee.

'_This is magnificent! Morning can't come soon enough for me…'_

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Kamiya Residence

"What did you say, Kenshin! Kaoru went missing, well.. she did leave a note, but it sounded so unlike her, and now you say we shouldn't worry!", Yahiko exploded in rage. "Maa, maa… Yahiko.. she isn't a child anymore. If she said we shouldn't worry, of course it is what she wants, we should respect her decision. After all, she did mention in her note that she would come back in a few week's time, right?", Kenshin reasoned calmly .

"How could you be so calm? She is after all, a Tanuki!", Yahiko mumbled still, though he was losing his initial rage.

"I'm sure she would be okay, Yahiko. We'll wait..", Keshin replied

"By then it'll be too late…", Yahiko said crossly.

Kenshin sighed, shaking his head as a wry smile appeared on his lips. "Yahiko, do have faith in your own Sensei..", he simply said, turning back to finish doing the dishes.

Yahiko shook his head in hopelessness, rolling his eyes heavenward, he muttered, "All adults are weird…"

* * *

Knock..knock..

"_Unggh….", _she groaned sleepily

"Kamiya-san, rise and shine! We will be having our photo shoot in the next hour or so", Kamatari's cheerful voice filtered through, breaking Kaoru's dreamless sleep. "Huh, wha..! Oh…right", she mumbled, rubbing sleep off her eyes and dragged herself out of the plush bed to take a bath.

After brushing her long tresses hastily and donning a pale blue top with a pair of denim jeans, she rushed out, only to find Kamatari conversing with someone in the hallway. She stopped talking, observing Kaoru's appearance acutely.

"Ah, there you are, Kamiya-san.. here's your next door neighbor, Amakusa Sayo-san..", Kamatari briefly made an introduction.

"Ah, pleased to meet you, Sayo-san.. my name's Kaoru Kamiya, just call me Kaoru"

The brown-haired girl looked at her, a small smile was splayed across her pretty features. "Nice to meet you, Kaoru-san…"

"Let's get going.. the others are probably there by now", steering the two, Kamatari chirped in her ever-pleasant tone of voice.

They arrived in another grand room, a living room from the look of it, complete with chandelier and plush sofas. A number of girls were there, standing somewhat uncomfortably next to one another, giving one another challenging stare, as if to judge the other's worth. It was an unnerving experience for Kaoru, and she opted to sit down on one of the sofas with her hands on her lap, occasionally talking to Sayo-san in whispered voice for Kamatari has gone off elsewhere, leaving the two of them to mingle with the rest of the girls.

Suddenly the door was wide open and all eyes were on the intruder.

"Morning ladies! Welcome to the "Extraordinary Joe for Ordinary girl", a show that have swept off the nation, where only one lucky one amidst all of you gets to be charmed silly by our very own 'Extraordinary Joe'.. and of course, another lucky one among you would grab the second prize of half a million yen! ", an old man in formal traditional hakama said as he entered the room, looking positively jovial.

"That's the good bits! Now.. of course before that happens, we have to go through an elimination period.. but that's for later. Oops, I forgot to introduce myself..Kashiwazaki Nenji at your disposal! You can just call me Okina. My duty is to lead all of you ladies throughout your entire programme", he winked lecherously, earning loathing gazes from some of the girls and some giggles from the others.

"Well, to start off, this morning we'll be having your very first make up session before a photo shot with Seijuro-san, then we'll be interviewing each of you.. As you might be aware of, the first two weeks are the first elimination period in which four of you will be eliminated. Then, in the next week that follow, another three of you will be eliminated. This will leave us with three candidates who will compete for the victor's crown in the last week of the month", he took a deep breath dramatically, he halted, grinning from ear to ear. "Of course, we would keep the identity of the 'Extraordinary Joe' a secret until the final night", he added with a wink.

Soft whispers were suddenly heard at the background as the girls exchanged excited glances. 'The rumor about him says that his good look is hard to compare…' one girl voiced out. 'What would he look like?' another sighed dreamily. "They say this episode's gonna be different than the rest.." yet another was heard saying.

Kaoru silently scoffed. '_How_ _pathetic_… _oh well,_ _I'm here to get that half million yen...' _

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_A/N: I love Kamatari, she always seems to play some supporting role in my story.. I think she fits in quite well as a bubbly, charming she-male. :) She's Yumi's rival after all.. hope you like this chapter (um, still rather unclear? wait for the next one! )__ And one more thing, let's just say Tokyo-Kyoto takes half a day by train… Shinkansen wasn't there yet, though it's modern AU..hahahha… author gone nuts.._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Watsuki is great. RK is his. This statement is rather badly put.

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**Chapter III**

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After the painstakingly lengthy make up session..

Quietly gazing around her as the photo shoot with the arrogant-looking photographer called Seijuro Hiko, she felt a slight twinge of regret, infused with a great deal of nervousness. '_How am I gonna compete with these beautiful girls.. Just because I want to get the prize money…' _Unwittingly, her thoughts flew back to Yahiko, her only younger sibling, and Kenshin, her adoptive big brother.

_' I really must win the money.._', she said determinedly.

"So, I wish you all good luck and have fun while you're at it!", Okina-san's voice was heard clear across the room, before he walked off, leaving Hiko Seijuro, the photographer, with the girls.

The first photo shoot was nerve-wrecking for Kaoru especially, for the snooty Seijuro-san was quite a difficult man to please. To top that off, the TV crew was constantly filming all of their activities.

_'Celebrity life definitely doesn't suit me._.' she thought with a grimace.

"Are you going to stand like a stiff-pole at the corner there?", his amused words surprised Kaoru. She stood forward sheepishly, earning a few snickers from the girls. '_Darn… why is everyone still here?'_, she scowled. Nervousness grew into tight knots that pinch her insides.

"There, loosen up.. relax your hands on both your sides, bend slightly forward.. No, keep you chin up, no, don't frown at me, relax your hands…No, goodness' sake, I said loosen up.. ", he frowned, approaching the anxious girl.

If before Kaoru was trying to follow his instructions, after his rude remarks, she felt her anger simmering rapidly, a small frown marred her features. _'He's such a jerk!'_

Hiko halted his step as he shot her an amused look.

'_The little chit is upset… interesting..'_

"I wouldn't recommend a scowl in a photo shot, would look ugly", he calmly said. Kaoru glared at him, the azure-sparks in her eyes lit up dangerously.

"Pardon me, Sir, this is what I look like.. I apologize if it's not up to your standard", she lashed out sarcastically. The girls around them were whispering, obviously commenting on her crudeness. She was embarrassed and annoyed, but couldn't care less anymore. Hiko's smirk widened considerably. "Call me Hiko-sama..", he offered, making Kaoru roll her eyes in the process. He took a glance around the room, "Those of you who have finished, please kindly make yourselves scarce. I don't want petty disturbances in this room", he said in an authoritative voice, startling and silencing all the girls at once. Most of them hastily retreated awayfrom the room.

He turned back to Kaoru. "Very well, let's start again, Kamiya.. Kaoru, isn't it?", he countered. Kaoru nodded curtly. "Okay, let's see if I could do something about your standard", he grinned lopsidedly. The fire in her azure eyes was back in almost no-time. Right at that moment, he flashed his camera, taking a close up photo of her face.

Sputtering, Kaoru protested, " Just what you're thinking you're doing ..?"

A condescending smirk was back on his face "Just doing my job.. you look better in that pose", he teased, unwilling to say that the raven-haired girl did indeed look better with her fiery disposition displayed for all to see. Before she could even speak a word, he cut her attempt effectively.

"Now, now.. you gotta trust a professional. Get yourself over there…and this time, give me a smile" he commanded, ignoring the cold glares the girl shot at him. _Hiko-sama..? pfft… no kidding.. _she rolled her eyes while forcing a stiff smile across her lips.

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The first week went by in a flash, leaving Kaoru teetering to get into the feel of a show-biz life. She was trying to fit in, and by the end of the first week, she did manage to befriend a few girls. Sayo-san was one of them. _'She was kind and gentle, unusual traits to be found these days'_, Kaoru thought in awe. 

One evening, she was rushing to get to the ballroom for another activity. Wrapped in a gleaming burgundy ball gown, she shifted her feet uneasily. As she was paying no attention to where she was heading, before long, she was lost in the one of the labyrinth-like hallways, sporting a stupefied look on her face.

_'Great going, Kaoru… what should I do now?'_

A male voice startled her, "Looks like you need some help… what are you looking for?", he said in a cool voice.

"Ah.. I'm looking for the ballroom", she gratefully replied, turning her head to face one extremely attractive tall guy wearing a plain white polo shirt and jeans. Even the most casual of attire didn't deter his good looks. A pair of dark shades perched atop the bridge of his nose, hiding his eyes completely, and his hair.. _Kami.. shocking platinum strands lay messily atop his head._

"I see, it's not far off.. let me take you there.. may I..?", with that, he offered his hand forward. Clumsily, Kaoru thrusted her hand into his larger ones. Feeling a sudden warmth enveloping her fingers, she was struck speechless. All the way, she was unable to take her eyes off the kind stranger who pulled her hand close to him as they made it to the majestic double door of the ballroom. "Here we are", he pointed to her. "aa… thank you…", mentally kicking herself, she shot a sheepish smile at him.

He bowed curtly as he took her hand upward, grinning handsomely. Swiftly, he placed his lips atop her trembling right hand for a quick peck.

"My pleasure.." he replied smoothly, as he turned to leave, leaving a very dazed beet-red faced Kaoru on her own.

_'Is this courtesy thing common in the show biz world?', _she couldn't help but to ponder.

_'Hmm... then perhaps I could adjust to being a celebrity after all..',_ she thought, smiling.

* * *

Kaoru fell back on her bed, totally exhausted, physically and mentally after the numerous activities all through out the week. Why, photo shot, make-up session, interview session, and a special introduction session amongst the competitors were enough to make a normal girl go nuts. If not because of the fact that her family needed money, she would never dream of joining. Especially when many of the girls latched themselves to the lecherous man named Okina, hoping that by being sweet to him, he could make them win or something. To top it off, he acted like he was the founder of Playboy magazine, openly flirting with them… Kaoru shook her head in disgust. 

_'No, monetary prize wasmy one and only incentive'._

Kenshin and Yahiko's face suddenly flashed across her mind as she closed her eyes.

Strangely enough, soon both their faces blurred, and turned into the face of a certain platinum-haired guy. Unconsciously, she rubbed her right hand as she felt a burning sensation run across it. With a smile, she drifted into a deep slumber.

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A/N: hmm.. what can I say? review pls. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: La la la... I'm outta here!

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**Chapter IV**

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That night…

"Have I told you, there were a few interesting ones amidst them?", Kamatari stretched her feet atop the desk, earning the scowl of Seijuro Hiko. "How many times must I tell you to put your stinking feet away from my desk!", he growled.

She grinned mischievously, ignoring him. "Well.. anyway, the boss would be delighted to see the result, won't he? This episode is so different compared to others.. I never thought boss would suggest such thing…", the male cross-dresser who was thought to be female, commented lazily.

Hiko snickered despite the fact that Kamatari ignored his previous warning. "Hmm.. especially that Kamiya Kaoru.. definitely intriguing, how did she manage to go through the make up sessions with Yumi?", he wondered aloud.

The brown-haired she-male cackled evilly, "Well, you could say that Yumi's thoroughly beaten up. Putting make up on that girl's face was no easy feat.. I think I saw her asking for some aspirins just then.."

Hiko snickered in response, "Anyway, who will get eliminated at this stage?"

"Ah… that's up to Okina-san really..", Kamatari giggled. "He's quite taken with that raven-haired medical doctor from Aizu, by the way.. he's so fond of those girls, he kept whining at how hard it was to eliminate seven out of ten…"

"Hmmph..he always does that..lecherous old man.. they're just girls", Hiko remarked with a certain chauvinistic style , chugging some sake straight from the bottle at the same time.

"Hey, no drinking… where did you smuggle the sake from? boss won't be happy seeing you drunk", Kamatari glanced at him. "I have my ways", Hiko said arrogantly, turning away from his short-haired colleague. "You never change", Kamatari noted, amused. "Tch...look at yourself, would you? you still love wearing those feminine clothing…", Hiko said in dry tone. Kamatari chuckled light-heartedly, finding his remark inoffensive.

"By the way, I've got something to show you..", he took out a piece of photo from his pocket and threw it on top of the desk. Kamatari reached out to see it and her smile grew wider. "Did you show this to the boss?"

"Hnn…", Hiko replied absently.

"As a matter of fact, I asked for a copy of the un-cut recording for today's activities…care to have a look?", Hiko offered

Kamatari's eyes glinted with delight, "Why, with outmost pleasure..let's invite Okina along. Have you got some more sake?"

**

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**End of the 2nd Week**

"Uh, Kamatari-san… is this another make up session?", she asked half-heartedly. Hiding her smile, Kamatari noted the girl's obvious dislike of make up. Not that she needed make-up, anyway, for Kaoru Kamiya was blessed with charming facial and physical features, smooth oval face, beautiful azure eyes that are blatantly expressive at times, pert little nose, high cheekbones and a pair of naturally lush lips without the help of collagen injection. Her long raven tresses that fall attractively to her waist is also to be envied by many. It was amusing that she believed otherwise. "No, actually, we're going for an ikebana lesson", Kamatari almost giggled at seeing the girl's face paled. "I…Ikebana?", she blanched.

_Priceless… _Hiko should have snapped a picture of her now.. Kamatari thought good-humoredly.

"…Kamatari-san… have I told you I have never done such thing..", she replied reluctantly. The other girl waved her hand relaxedly, "Shinpai shinaide, Kamiya-san.. it's quite fun once you know the basic.. anyway, for just a month stay in this place, a girl's got to learn everything..".Kaoru bowed her head down in defeat.

'_Well, Kamatari did say it's gonna be short'…_be it her only consolation…

* * *

"Oooooohh.. that girl! ", Yumi whined forlornly as soon as the raven-haired girl was out of sight. Taking a whole pack of aspirin, she gulped the lot as she would mints. Kamatari grinned, silently applauding Kaoru for ruining Yumi's day. After all.. Yumi has quite the bitchy streak. Their history went back to the days of fighting over her heart-throb, a striking stuntman Makoto Shishio, who later became Yumi's boyfriend, much to the other girl's dismay. So, as far as Kamatari was concerned, it was _'payback time..'_ Kamatari smirked victoriously.

Meanwhile, Okina was busy tallying up scores for each of the girl to be eliminated. "I really think this girl is pretty though…don't you think so?", he said, stroking his long wispy beard in the process."Hmm.. let me see.. ", a somber voice was heard. He examined the list of contestants closely. "… being pretty is not enough, Okina, you know better than that. So... that made up four of them. Announce these for tonight's first elimination", the middle-aged figure leaned back on his leather chair, sighing in relief. He never bothered to involve himself in his own tangled webs of TV shows, but this time he did, and boy, look at what he's getting into.

'_Just for the sake of that brat'…_He reminded himself as he smiled a slow, satisfied smile.

**

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**Elimination Night**

"Quick, Kamiya-san, or you're going to be late if you walk like that!", Kamatari yelped, grasping Kaoru's wrist and pull her along rather forcefully.  
" Kamatari-san, I won't be going like this! I gotta change!", she helplessly pointed out, her cheeks were suffused with pink hues, as she gestured to her clothing. She was wearing a formal traditional kimono, the much heavier kind than she was used to, complete with make up and ornamental hair pieces that were set atop her hair. She felt so unlike herself. "I can't turn up to tonight's elimination looking like this!" _'Ack, this is embarrassing!'_

Kamatari glanced at her with critical eye and voiced out her approval, much to her dismay, "You look gorgeous, Kamiya-san.. now, let's go!", taking no for an answer, the girl was being dragged into the room.

The cameramen were there, moving and recording every move of the beautiful participants who gathered in the room. Ladies in their formal attire, each looking out to outdo the others. "Ladies, tonight is the event that we've been waiting for.. after numerous activities from the past two weeks,…here's the first round of elimination!", Okina announced. "Although we must admit we've had such a difficult time to pick those to be eliminated…why, you're all beautiful and talented..", he winked perversely.

The sound of the door being opened loudly by Kamatari halted Okina.

The grin she bestowed on the rest of the group was immediate. "Apologies, I'm escorting the last girl..", she said, dragging the mortified-looking girl from behind her.

Kaoru wanted to vanish into thin air. She felt herself squirming in her embarrassment, but she has yet to vanish. "I apologize for being late", swallowing hard, she spared a glance at the suddenly vicious faces of the girls around her. '_What's the matter?',_ she thought warily.

"Ah, Kamiya-san.. welcome back, you look exceptionally pretty tonight!", Okina rambled on, grinning widely. His careless remark earned more scowls from everyone around her. '_Kami! Help me!',_ Kaoru grimaced, feeling the nasty stares directed toward her_. If only she could blend in with the walls_..' Reluctantly, she stepped in next to Sayo-san, who by the way, looked beautiful in her one-piece dress, smiling at Kaoru in a 'don't-let-them-bother-you' kind of smile.

"Alright.. let's carry on!" Okina resumed the lead once again.

* * *

Kaoru's was in her 'scatter-brain' mode, unable to concentrate fully as the names of the eliminated ladies were called out. '_I better listen, or else I wouldn't notice when they call out my name'_, she thought.. '_oh well.. so much for coming here.. sorry guys, I won't be able to get the prize money..'_ she sighed softly.

…

… Kumiko Nagami…

…Yukina Kuro..

…Mimosa Hiroshi..

…Reina Kuwata..

…

Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms enveloped her in tight hug, cutting her air supply all at once. _'What the heck..?' _she frantically gasped for some air.

"Kaoru-san… we've made it!", a trembling voice of Sayo-san was soon heard amidst the noise in the room. Kaoru was flabbergasted._ ' huh? Really!_ ' She looked up to see Sayo was displaying an enthralled smile..

She looked up to see around her, and a few emotional looking girls were personally escorted by Okina to the door, to behandedinto the hands of some ladies in black dresses.

_'Huh? I made it to the second round..' _she thought, finding it hard to believe. Discreetly glancing at her right side, she saw Sayo-san, Erika-san, Yukina-san, one other girl that she didn't know the name of, and Megumi-san standing tall.

* * *

The following two weeks were equally packed with tight schedule, so tight that Kaoru felt she's going to burst out like an over-inflated balloon, especially when dealing with the condescending peacock, Seijuro Hiko, the photographer, and the freaky make up artist, Yumi Komagata. '_Heck, that Yumi even resorted to tying her in the chair just to keep her still as she worked her witchcraft with her face'._ She must reluctantly admit though, that she could look rather_… feminine_… with a touch of make up.. although she'd die first before she'd admit such thing to Yumi-san.

At her breaks, Kaoru would go out and venture the whole estate, marveling at the beauty of it, and was ecstatic to find a rather old, but well-maintained training hall at one end of the estate. It was a medium-sized building, with polished wooden floor and Kaoru squealed with joy as she found a rack of training bokken and a vast collection of Japanese swords adorning the huge mahogany display rack at one side of the room.

Feeling more at home with bokkens readily available to use, and no one was around most of the time, she came to use the place for herself. Only with no Yahiko around, she felt rather ..alone.. and with no spiky head to whack her bokken onto… She sighed..

Turning around as she wiped her forehead, she let out a startled yelp when she saw a stranger standing next to the sword rack, looking at them with a affectionate look.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I startled you..", a cool voice replied, devoid of guilt at causing her to have her first heart attack.

"Aa…ah… you".. she stuttered, her eyes widen in realization at seeing the handsome face of a turquoise-eyed guy with spiky hair and an earring on his right ear.

He casually stepped forward, approaching her "Ah, if it isn't the lost girl that I stumbled upon last time… I didn't know you practice martial arts", he said, eyeing her with some.. '_what was it?_ _Curiosity in his eyes?'_

"Oh, a, yah.. my father taught me.. just a little..", suddenly she bowed her head in embarrassment. Having been caught training with bokken in the training hall that's not her own, one of which she probably was not allowed to enter.. and have been caught red-handed by him, of all people…

"I… ex..cuse me.. I have to go", she said, avoiding his stare.

He smirked, "You were still practicing, were you not? .. or is it my being here that bothers you?" his mischievous smirk grew bolder.

_'Jerk!'_ Before it was onlyone pompous Seijuro Hiko… now.. now this stranger.. '_What is his name?' _She frowned, torn at wanting to flee from the place, and at the same time,ask for his name… for what.. she didn't know.

She was still silent when he spoke up, "Anyway, feel free to use it. I used to play in this hall before, but no longer.. oh, by the way, if you need a training partner, do tell me..", he winked and turned around to leave her rooted on the wooden floor, with a mortified-looking face.

"I.. I.. don't need a training partner!", she squeaked out in defense..

His laughter as he disappeared from the entrance door was that of pure amusement.

'_Entertaining, is it? darn it if she liked to be made fun of.. darn darn darn…'_ she chanted, gripping the bokken with a renewed surge of anger.

* * *

A/N: Kaoru has to keep fit for the competition, ne :P 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Do not own a thing.. only the modified Average Joe reality show wannabe is mine.

* * *

**Chapter V**

**

* * *

**

**2nd Elimination Round **

…."Anyhow, what are we going to do when this series finish, Hiko-san?", Kamatari said while she opened the soft drink can.

"Probably go to the hills of Kyoto and meditate..", he sarcastically answered.

"Oh, not prancing around Kyoto and chasing girls?", Kamatari winked playfully.

"Now, Kamatari, you're not talking to Okina here..", was his half-amused reply.

"Well… prove me wrong… anyway, you're going to meditate on the hills of Kyoto for the rest of your lives? What a shame! How about the twin girls who adore you so much, then? You know, you've got that devastatingly handsome face…." The she-male purred, earning a disgusted look from his colleague.

"Cease this conversation, Kamatari! You'll not take that tone with me…gives me creeps…", he frowned.

Kamatari laughed out loud. "Well, never hurt to try.. by the way, where's Okina? He's supposed to be here half an hour ago, to bring the names to be announced tonight. Hm…"

"Hnn… don't worry about him. The last time I saw him, he was chasing this Erika girl from Yokohama with red roses…", he snickered.

"Oh, what's new..", Kamatari rolled her eyes and posed dramatically.

* * *

**At the show**

.. "Here goes the names of the ones who will go to the semi-final round!", Okina exclaimed.

The drum sound effect was deafening to Kaoru's ear…

She was having difficulty to hear Okina's words. Not that she cared so much at this point, for she was feeling so self-conscious at having to wear the backless navy colored gown that basically just clings to her body like a second skin.

_'Thanks to Kamatari!',_ she groaned inwardly. She was fighting the urge to cover up her back so much by the time she entered the ballroom.

…..

…..

The girls screamed in unison, both in joy and in disappointment as the names were called out.

Kaoru was thinking hard.

_What? What? Who are the semi-finalists?_ _Drat.. me and my scatter-brained.._

She suddenly felt a warm handshake from Yukina-san and Erika-san… "Congratulations, Kamiya-san!", they said with a genuine smile... '_or was it genuine?'_.. she wasn't sure.. then they congratulated Sayo-san too.

Everything in the show biz world is very much superficial anyway, that much she has learned during her stay.

_'Oh, wait.. ' _Her concentration was branching off once again.

_'Then, there must be another person..'_

About two feet away from them, an standoffish-looking girl stood tall, clad in her form-fitting crimson dress and matching high-heels, eyeing both Kaoru and Sayo in a belittling stare. Kaoru winced.

'_Ah.. one of the bitchy ones_…', she quietly remarked.

Takani Megumi was her name.

* * *

As soon as the eliminated girls were taken care of, a familiar shrilly voice was once again being heard, "Congratulations, ladies! Now, in the three days that follow, each of you will be interviewed once by our 'first prize' man. Now, if each of you could take a piece of paper..", Okina-san thrusted a small glass jar with three pieces of folded paper in it. 

Megumi took the first paper, Sayo followed in suit, and Kaoru was the last to pick hers. Unfolding hers, she winced at seeing the number '3' being written.

"Very well! Amakusa-san is the first to be interviewed, followed by Takani-san, and last but not least, Kamiya-san…", Okina concluded.

'_Drat… I'm the last one! Talking about bad luck…'_

* * *

The next two days that followed were spent at a more leisurely pace, with the three girls getting numerous luxurious treatments and make-overs. Kaoru chose to escape from all of it. It has been three weeks, and still she couldn't stand her every movements being recorded. Instead, she was sitting next to a small cherub sculpted fountain in the lush garden, busily mulling over the fact that she has yet to contact neither Kenshin or Yahiko. 

_'They just have to wait for a little while more…_ _if I could get back with the half-million yen prize money, we'll be able to live comfortably… '_

She grimaced.

'_Wishful thinking, Kaoru, with Takani and Amakusa-san as your competitors? Bah!'_

"What are doing in this place by yourself?", a deep velvety voice of a guy broke the silence.

Kaoru broke out from her reverie, "Uh…erm…I was just thinking…", craning her neck up, she was greeted with a painful sun rays that glare at her menacingly.

Wincing slightly, she concentrated on the outline of the features in front of her.

_'Tall and lean..'_

_'With eyes that flickered with playful turquoise hue…' _

_'Not to mention a body to die for..'_

'_Hmm.. looks kind of familiar…'_

A shocking wealth of austere platinum strands stood out from Kaoru's viewpoint.

'_Bleached hair? Quite a trend-setter..'_

'_Huh, he's THAT guy … what am I thinking?'_

"Er…", she started hesitantly

' _I have to apologize for my rudeness.. and thank him properly for he has helped me before. I must at least ask for his name. Come on, Kaoru, ask his name!'_, she willed herself to say something.

"We've been bumping into each other quite often, eh? And you're always by yourself..", he cut her trail of thought in half while displaying a beautiful teasing grin on his face.

Kaoru just nodded dumb-founded, utterly mesmerized at seeing the slight narrowing of his eyes as he grinned at her.

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he ended up checking his Tag-heuer instead; apologetically he mumbled out, "Tch, I've got to go.. by the way, nice meeting you again, Miss", and as soon as he appeared, he disappeared from her line of vision.

Kaoru pondered. '_This guy just barge in out of the blue, who is he?'_

_'Oh, by the way.. he smelled nice.. something akin to Aqua by Hugo Boss.. '_

_'Mm… did I mention he's got style?' _

Suddenly, out of her stupor, she whacked her own head lightly as she forced her thoughts. off her head. "Oh, it'd be handy to have Yahiko around now", she remarked dryly.

'_Oh drat, I forgot to ask his name…'_

Absent-mindedly, she resumed watching the horizon set into a mixture of dark magenta and orange hues. Soon enough, she felt something was amiss_… _

She cursed, "Kuso…I gotta go for that last interview!"

* * *

**The Interview**

"Ah, Kamiya-san, come in, ready for the last interview?", Okina asked with a smile.

"Umh.. not really?", she smiled lop-sidedly.

The older man chuckled.. "If it helps, you won't see the interviewer in person", he added, patting her shoulder. "Come along now!", he motioned for her to follow, not allowing her to even ask what he meant by what he said.

Inside the fairly dim room, she was seated instantly. Adjusting her eyes to see her surroundings, she jolted off the chair when she heard a voice somewhere inside the room._ The interviewer_, she presumed, chuckling lightly at that. "Sorry to have startled you… Okina-san might've mentioned, you probably can't see me, we're just conversing via electronic device here, so you can relax… but not too much, for I could still see you", he added in a teasing tone.

Kaoru was mortified when he said that.

'_She jolted off her chair none too gracefully, and he could see her? Darn it…'_

"You're the last semi-finalist, I heard… Kamiya-san, right?"

Kaoru nodded dumb-foundedly, then as if realizing that she should reply in words instead of nodding dumbly, she choked out "Hai, I'm Kamiya Kaoru"

"Very well, Kamiya-san.. I'm just going to ask you a few questions…" Kaoru listened tentatively.

"Firstly, why did you join in this show?"

_How should she answer this? Should she be honest? …_"Mm… because I'd like to win the second prize.. ", she said, face flushing heatedly, realizing the absurdity of her answer.

He was immediately intrigued with her answer. "Oh? The second price? So, you don't intend to fight for the first prize?"

_Drat.. why did she have a feeling he's gonna ask something like that…?_

".. Well, I was merely interested in the second prize, because, erm, let's just say, I could use it for my siblings' welfare.. umh..that is…if I ever won the second prize….which is very unlikely, knowing my outstanding competitors include Takani-san and Amakusa-san …" she rambled, then laughed good-naturedly, suddenly feeling a bit more like herself.

He smiled despite himself "Well, that's underrating yourself, no?", he asked, making Kaoru's face blush considerably at the unexpected compliment.

"Oh, I also heard that you work as a part-time singer.. do you mind my requesting you to sing, Kaoru-san?", he smoothly continued.

Kaoru gulped. So, she does a part-time singing job at a small cafe, but that's nothing to be boasted about.

_This is embarrassing_…

"Do I have other options, Sir?", she jokingly responded. Her interviewer laughed at hearing it. "No, not really, Kaoru-san.. just one song, if you would", he coaxed her.

'_As if you would take no for an answer'_, Kaoru pouted automatically, earning a chuckle from the man.

'_Kuso…I forgot that he could see me..'_

"Very well.".. Clearing her throat, she started singing her favorite song.

**_" atarashii doa akete shiranai basho e dete  
shimatte mo watashi wa watashi da to ii kiru kara  
soko ga donna basho demo ikinuite miseru yo  
isshou ni ichido no tatakaiidomu tame_**

**_kako wa kitto ima to wa kurabe mono ni naranai  
da kedo ima ni mirai ga kateru wake ja nai sa_**

**_tsugi no shingou ao ni nattara hashiridasu koto ni kimeta n da  
kiiro ni natte aka de tomatte kokoro no junbi wa ii kai?" _**

She ended the song abruptly as a wicked smile that crept up her face, "I'll only sing the first part, becauseI'm not getting paid to sing here", she winked playfully.

He chuckled. "It's fair enough. Now, for the last question, suppose you win the first prize of the final round, what would you do then?"

"The first prize? Not the second?", she responded in a hopeful note, then quickly added, "Oh, I really don't know.. I suppose I could get to know the person.. well, I've never seen him before, so it'd be hard to tell, wouldn't it? Why would anyone want to charm a total stranger?", Kaoru cringed at her own outspokenness.

"umm.. what I mean is…"

His chuckle erupted into a full-blown laughter. "Don't correct it, you've actually got a good point there,.. .Anyway, I think that's about it. That's all I need to know for now. I thank you for the beautiful song. Have a pleasant rest tonight, Kamiya-san. See you at the final tomorrow!", he added, before she heard the sound of the speakers being turned off.

_Great, she hasn't said anything useful so far. And the stupid interview has ended. _

"Umm, and a good night to you to", she said more to herself.

_Sigh.. baka Kaoru… you just lost all chance to bring back that half million yen! _

* * *

**VOCAB:**

Shinpai shinaide: don't worry

The song Kaoru sang - **(Signal: Ayumi Hamasaki) **

I open a new door into a place I don't know.  
Even if I close it I'm still myself, so  
no matter what kind of place it is, I'll show you that I can survive.  
To have a once in a lifetime challenge.

The past isn't something you compare to the present.  
But the future can't beat the present either.

I've decided to zoom off when the next light turns green.  
It turns yellow, and stops at red. Am I ready for this?

* * *

A/N: ah-um.. Kaoru's rather materialistic, isn't she? heheh.. by the way, if you haven't guessed it already, the two worshippers of Seijuro Hiko, the photographer are, ...why, Okon & Omasu, of course! 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro. Always.

* * *

**Chapter VI**

* * *

He smirked as he leaned comfortably on his chair. '_It's been really interesting to interview these girls_…' with Amakusa-san's soft, timid responses and Takani-san's intelligent and somewhat shrewd answers, and now Kamiya Kaoru's honest and amusing answers, he's going to have a hard time deciding. 

Turning around, he asked casually, "So, what do you think, Enishi?"

Leaning on one of the pillars with a wide grin plastered on his handsome face, the platinum-haired admitted, "I never realized that your show could be quite amusing, Tou-san..what have you been doing? An interview?"

"I've been telling you that, haven't I? You wouldn't believe me then…, and yeah, I just finished the last interview", the older man said good-naturedly.

"Well.. now I do.. by the way, the reason you sought me out…?"

"I've got a proposition for you", the older one grinned sneakily.

….

A deep sound of chuckling was soon heard. " … I see, no, I don't see, but, well, it does sound interesting.. come to think of it..", he ended on a positive note, smiling slightly.

"You agree then..".. it was more like a statement

"You bet.."

* * *

Walking out of the office, a familiar voice enquired, "How was the interview, Sir?", Okina approached the older man with a curious look evident in his eyes. "Well… it's been interesting.. so far..", the middle-aged man deliberately avoiding direct answer. "By the way, don't let Hiko or Kamatari steal the limelight on the show tomorrow", he added, smirking.

From the opposite end of the office, the spiky platinum-haired man was rather reluctant to admit it, but he's been thinking about a certain raven-haired girl that he bumped into several times in the past few weeks.

She was… _refreshingly different_..

_Now, why did he have a feeling he's going to see her again?_

* * *

Tokyo 

Lounging in the living room's sofa after dinner, Yahiko muttered worriedly, He's been worried sick for the past couple of days, pacing back and forth next to the telephone, waiting for Kaoru to call, somehow. " Ugh… that Busu… I want to whack her for making us worry like this"  
Soon, he turned on the TV and was engaging himself in a channel-changing routine using his feet.  
"The latest news from Tokyo station 7…" '_flick'_

"Mori…aishiteru", Yahiko flinched at seeing the teary chick drama. '_flick'_

"The science researchers of Tokyo University concluded..!" Pretty self-explanatory.. '_flick'_

"This is the right season for fishing…especially for the salmon and the yellow-tail.."… Bah!. _'flick'_

"Nihon-Dreams won! For the umpteenth time this season, the unbeatable giants from Nihon Dreams play such an impressive.." _'flick'_

…

Yahiko was getting bored. Nothing good was on TV.. Yawning, he attempted to turn the power button off. Accidentally his feet knocked the remote control, causing it to free-fall towards the tiled floor.. "Kuso!"

'_flick' _

"_Welcome to the show that has bewitched all of Japan. The special episode of "Extraordinary Joe for the Ordinary girl"_.. the show's host said genially.

"Another one of those baka reality TV show, from the sound of it…" Yahiko grumbled aloud, his hand lazily reached out for the fallen remote control. _Now, where did it fall.._ The spiky-haired crouched low, his back facing the TV screen, as his hand reached out to retrieve the remote.

"Tonight, we've a special episode, and we're keeping you in suspense until the last minute… But, first, let us meet our beautiful and talented semi-finalists…. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd love to present you Miss Takani Megumi…" the red curtain was lifted up, revealing a beautiful lady wrapped in an expensive-looking lavender dress, looking out to the audience with a small aloof smile.

"… Miss Amakusa Sayo!", the second red curtain from the center stage was lifted up to reveal a pretty brown-haired girl with a soft, chocolate eyes, waving gracefully to the audience.

"And … Miss Kamiya Kaoru!"", the last curtain was lifted up, revealing a beautiful girl with azure blue eyes and a dazzling smile.. The audience applauded for the three contestantscheerfully.

"Tch… all this reality show is bugging me to no end", Yahiko remarked, hearing it. "Ah-ha! There it is..", he scooped up the remote control lying beneath the sofa. Suddenly he frowned. _" Waitaminit! Did I hear correctly?", _abruptly, his head turned around so fast.. too fast to hit the wooden table just above his crouching form.

Thud! 

"Awwghh!", he howled painfully, feeling the newly formed bump on his forehead.

Still, the painful thud didn't deter him to look up, and gasped loudly…

…

_Bu…bu..busu.. .Kao…ru…was on_ _TV!_

Rubbing his eyes resolutely, he thought it was all his imagination..

The form of Kaoru in cobalt blue dress, with her azure orbs sparkling merrily…

_This is the probably the worst his imaginative mind has ever been playing him up…_

_But, then again, it could be for real.._

_**Gulp..**_

The remote control slipped off his grasp as he scrambled to his feet, intently watching the screen.

Hurried sound of footsteps could be heard as Kenshin peeked out from the door. "Yahiko, did you just hurt yourself?", he asked with concerned look on his face, and a dish on his hand. Yahiko ignored the red head completely, his hand absently gesturing him to be silent. Wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion, his amethyst eyes followed the direction of Yahiko's brown ones.

The dish fell down in a shattering noise as Kenshin's eyes bulged out considerably. "Shush, Kenshin… keep quiet!", Yahiko scowled.

Reaching for the sofa, the two of them resumed watching the show intently.

The audience in the studio applauded as the three finalists were revealed. Kaoru was so nervous, she would just flee away given the chance.. _Why did she join this reality show again_? She couldn't recall why..

Her eyes darted to the drawn curtain from across the room. _So, **that** is the secret first prize.. wonder where they put the money.. _

"There are two consecutive rounds tonight, and the first winner will have a right to lay her hands on our Extraordinary Joe….the second prize winner will have the right to lay her hands on the half million yen that we've prepared… The winner will be decided with the assistance of both the audience and our Extraordinary Joe himself.. "

Yahiko cursed under his breath. "Baka Kaoru.. why is she entering such stupid show? Is she looking for a boyfriend or something!"..

Kenshin was more quiet in his response… "I think that she has more reason than that…"

Yahiko turned to face him and snorted, "How so?"

"Well… we're not exactly very well-off Yahiko.. and though Kaoru always stayed quiet, I'm sure she couldn't stop worrying about our welfare…she's been selling Ojii-san's paintings too… and singing part-time doesn't earn much money, although she does have a beautiful voice, that she does ", he bowed his head solemnly.

"And her joining the show might help, how?", he asked stubbornly, "It's not like we're unemployed.."

"I seriously doubt if she's seeking the first prize.. if I guess correctly, she probably wanted to win the monetary prize.."

Yahiko frowned, taking in his word slowly. "It's impossible.. she can't compete with those beauty queens.. "

Kenshin smiled, "You really think so? Take a closer look at your sister..", he gently coaxed the teenager.

Yahiko did. And he had to admit that she never looked that _girlish_.. she always denied that side of her. Mumbling softly, he said, "She shouldn't do such thing..If only she'd tell me, I'd be willing to work double shifts…"

Kenshin smiled gently, "Don't push yourself too hard, Yahiko, that's exactly why Kaoru's been worried.. with both of us working day in and day night, yet, we still don't have enough money to live comfortably.."

"Still she should know better.. she travelled to Kyoto on her own.. Baka Kaoru!", the youngster shivered, thinking of what could happen to Kaoru when she traveled without an escort, to a town twelve hours away from Tokyo.

Suddenly his eyes lit up with an idea, "Kenshin, quick, we've got to go to Kyoto now… we've to drag Kaoru back home.. I don't care if I have to work triple shifts at Akabeko… ", and with that, he pulled the red head's gi, effectively choking him.

"Ack! Orororororo…"

It was almost 9 o'clock at night when they boarded the last train to Kyoto.

* * *

Aishiteru: I love you 

A/N: ...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Have negotiated a deal with Watsuki-sensei. I got to keep Enishi.

* * *

**Chapter VII**

* * *

**Final Night - First Round**

_Guessing game_..

Kaoru should have known better.. There will be three questions for each finalist, whenever the answer is considered right or wrong, each finalist would gain a number of points. At the end of the round, the two players accumulating the most points will go to the second round. Simple enough. The only thing that irked her was the fact that the score board was placed with its back facing them.

A deep, sensuous voice was heard through the speaker:

"Finalist number 1, what do you think my ideal date is like?

Takani Megumi answered confidently, "Honestly? Beautiful, slim and with a sexual appeal, of course..", she grinned, making sure that the implication is clear. The score panel beeped. The audience chuckled hearing her answer as Kaoru fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Finalist number 2.. If you could describe me in three choice words, what would it be?" "mm… I'd guess kind, handsome and understanding", the chocolate-eyed girl responded somewhat shyly.

"Finalist number 3.."What kind of song do I like to listen to?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. _How am I supposed to guess?_ "..it'll be theboring jazz", she answered thoughtlessly.

"Finalist number 2, where do you think is my favorite dating place?"

Sayo thought carefully, "cafés and popular night clubs".

"Finalist number 1, describe the way I kiss"

Megumi smirked, obviously liking the kind of question thrown at her. "mm. sizzling hot and explosive"…

"Finalist number 3, What is my occupation?"

_He's really making it difficult for me…_ "I'd say you must be in trade… an heir to a wealthy businessman", she shrugged casually, letting her imagination wander off.

"Finalist number 2, what do I do in my past time".

" Erm.. playing chess..", she answered reluctantly.

"Finalist number 1, describe my ideal type of relationship"

"A flexible, open-relationship..", the foxy witch replied confidently.

"Finalist number 3, what is my favorite perfume?"

Suddenly a certain face with disheveled platinum bangs came across her mind. Without preamble, she blurted out, " Aqua.. by Hugo Boss"

The score board beeped loudly, totaling the three finalist's points. Holding her breath, Kaoru waited. She never wanted to be first prize winner, but she didn't want to be a loser either… _Please Kami, let me just win the money and I'll run away from here without as much as a second glance!_

Okina announced soon after, "Finalist number 1.. 25 points!

Finalist number 2..18 points!

And finalist number 3… 25 points! Oh, we have a tie here!

..Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to finalist number two… ", Okina said dramatically. Before Kaoru could say anything, the red curtain was drawn in front of Amakusa Sayo.

_Sayo-san?_ _Drat… it means I'll be competing with the bitchy lady!_

* * *

**Final Night -Second Round**

"Ladies and gentlemen, as our usual custom, we'll now cover our finalists, and will rotate their places randomly. When our Extraordinary Joe came up to the stage, he himself will throw questions at these two lovely finalists. His questions will be of those that you, dear audience, suggested. You'll now be given two minutes during our commercial break to list as many questions you could think of. Now, please pick up the electronic device next to your seat and write your questions. We will randomly select a few and throw it to the screen. Then, our man will read it to the two finalists. The finalists aren't allowed to speak this time, they have to type their answer down instead. The one who answers all questions most accurately will win the hands of our Extraordinary Joe!

Anyway… we'll be back after this! Those of you at home, don't leave your seats just yet! It's getting hot in here!"

The red curtain dropped before Kaoru's eyes, and the same happened to Takani Megumi. Immediately the room dimmed significantly, concealing the stage floor. Kaoru gulped down her glass of water, feeling uncomfortable being wrapped in such a skimpy dress._. "Keep your cool, Kaoru… you manage to climb up to this point.. you have to bring back the prize money"_, she chanted quietly.

Then she eyed the computer screen before her_. 'By the way, how do you use this thing?'_, she cringed inwardly.

The floor beneath her seemed to slowly rotate as she suddenly heard a soft voice. "What do you hope to accomplish, Miss Kamiya?", Takani Megumi said in a deceptively sweet tone.

"Uh, nothing really..", she shrugged lightly.

"Don't you dare joke around with me.. I assure you that I'll be tonight's first prize winner", she hissed somewhat threateningly.

_'Foxes don't hiss!'_ Kaoru almost laughed out loud, hearing her. "Well, I sincerely hope that you will be the first prize winner, Takani-san..for I'm not interested", she said nonchalantly, causing the lady in lavender to clench her teeth in irritation. It was a good thing they were both concealed from the audience, because Kaoru was trying hard to cover her snicker.

"Ah, the long awaited second round..", Kamatari cheerfully voiced out from behind the stage. She looked attractive in her revealing shimmering coral dress with deeply scooped neckline. Too bad Okina warned her not to come out from behind the stage. "Huh, Okina wants the limelight for himself, that selfish old-pervert!"

Hiko snickered next to her. "Well, let him be, we're too good for the audience anyway", he commented, an ever-present jug of sake was glued to his hand.

"Hiko-san.. you can't be bringing along sake.. the boss will really kick you out of the show if he knew", Kamatari giggled.

"Oh, he knew alright.. ", a dry voice was heard, causing both Kamatari and Hiko toturn around. "Good evening, Yukishiro-sama", Hiko said, not in the least bit guilty. "Enjoying the show?", the older man asked his employees with a smile

"It's been fascinating… we have a tie between Takani-san and Kamiya-san", Kamatari supplied resourcefully.

"So I've noticed..", he grinned in satisfaction.

"By the way, Yukishiro-sama.. you haven't even told us who's going to be the catch for this episode.. is he another celebrity? Mm.. perhaps Shinomori Aoshi-kun..?", Kamatari's eyes twinkled dreamily.

Hiko rolled his eyes in disgust as Yukishiro laughed heartily. "Mm.. no, not a celebrity.. better than that".. he replied mysteriously "Besides, Shinomori-san is overseas, filming his latest action flick", he added in a lighter tone.

"Ohh, I love this kind of budding anticipation…", Kamatari cooed dramatically.

* * *

**Final Night - Final Round**

"We're back for the best part of the show! … who will be the final suitor of our "Extraordinary Joe"? " The audience whistled and clapped noisily, especially after seeing the outline of a masculine figure stepping onto the stage. He proceeded to casually sit on a large chair in the middle of the stage, facing away from the audience. The studio's lighting was still dimmed to the point of an almost-pitch-dark.

"Let us have a look at the randomly selected questions then.. we have five minutes to get as much questions answered. Now, show us the screen!", Okina yelled out enthusiastically. Immediately, a huge screen unfolded next to the stage, highlighting the selected questions. "Your time starts…now!", Okina announced.

"Describe how you feel now", he read the displayed question in a clear voice.

Kaoru scowled at hearing it. _Such a stupid question.. _

_But.. strange, his voice sounded familiar somehow.. _Kaoru typed with a snicker. After all, she'd be her nice self and let Takani-san win the first prize, right?

_oh, she has an idea.._

"Quite nervous" was displayed on the huge screen, followed by

"Bad case of nervousness.. will be passing out soon".

The audience chuckled at seeing the honest answers on the screen.

The mystery man smirked, deciding on their score

"What would you do the minute you see me?", the second question was out.

"Grab your hand and shake it, what else..oh, and I'll be flashing you with a dazzling smile, don't you worry"

"Kiss you senseless"

The score panel beeped again.

"Do you believe in love at the first sight?"

"Maybe, depends on how good looking the guy is.."

".. No, it's more like _crush_ at the first sight.."

The audience was spellbound at looking at the accumulated scores in anticipation.

"Next one, when do you think we should go on a first date?"

"Gee, isn't the guy supposed to be the one deciding?.. "

"Why, as soon as possible.. tomorrow night at 7. Pick me up"

"Make a pet-name for me"

"Chibi ko-inu"

"Err.. fugu-chan"

The audience roared in laughter.

"Time's up!", Okina's cheerily announced. "Oh, would you look at the scores! We've clearly got a smiling winner tonight! Let's find out, draw the curtain for the first prize winner, please! With his theatrical exclamation, the curtain hiked up, unveiling a very much astounded looking...Kaoru.

"Ah.. I.. I..? How.."

Ignoring her stutter, Okina went on, "And now let's reveal our mystery man!" With that, the studio's light came back to life, revealing a particularly fine specimen seated down comfortably on the over-sized leather chair. The audience gasped in combination of surprise and disbelief.

* * *

**VOCAB**

Chibi ko-inu: small puppy

Fugu-chan: er.. literally? a little blow-fish.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I'll skip this part this time. Nuff' said.

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

* * *

Even the host of the show was struck speechless. "We..well.. we certainly do have a surprise here.." Before the audience could react, he stood up on and grabbed the massive floral bouquet that was reserved for the first prize winner.

"I thought I would receive a handshake and a dazzling smile…", he said, a teasing glint surfaced on his face.

Suddenly there was multi colored confetti and balloons clouding the whole studio as the winner of the show was announced. The whole studio audience were clapping incessantly as the 'Extraordinary Joe' approached the victor.

"I..ah.. it must be a misunderstanding…", she said in a hoarse whisper. She took in the appearance of a formally attired, very much wicked-looking platinum-haired guy whom even his name she has no knowledge of.

_'He's... the first prize of this show?'_

The second curtain opened revealing an envious Takani Megumi. But before she could even speak, Okina took both of her hands in tight grip. "Congratulations to you too, Miss Takani! You just won half a million yen! Before he could hug her, she swatted his hand off hers. Scoffing lightly and ignoring the worshipful look on Okina's face, she approached the winner. "Congratulation, Kamiya-san… it is indeed very surprising to have won the hands of Oibore Enterprise's only son", she said viciously.

Thankfully, sensing the change of tone in Takani Megumi's voice, Okina swiftly lead the attention of the audience back to him. Letting the crew pull down the curtain to cover the three from the audience's sight. he exclaimed, "That's it for tonight, folks! We've had a special "extraordinary Joe" coming to entice Miss Kamiya Kaoru, our winner this week!" Let's give them a moment of privacy for now, and we'll see you next week with a brand new episode! Good night!"

* * *

Behind the stage

Kaoru's face blanched in surprise. '_Oibore Enterprise's heir?'_

_'This guy is the heir of one of the most successful businessmen in Japan?'_

She glanced at the person standing next to her. He grinned widely. '_Is this some kind of a bad joke?' _She blinked her eyes in confusion. Yukishiro Enishi stood tall next to her, looming over the girl and while he gently thrusting the bouquet of flower in her hands, he leaned down and bestowed a kiss on her cheek. "Nice meeting you too, Kamiya Kaoru!", he said, ignoring the scornful remark of the other woman.

Kaoru blushed ten shades of pink. She was rendered speechless yet again.

"The question is, why would a millionaire's son involve himself in such show?", Megumi said derisively. Enishi glanced at her, "Well, let me ask you, why did you join in this show, Takani-san?", he said levelly, "Is it not because you want to earn the victor's crown?", he smirked teasingly. The foxy lady stayed blessfully silent in the minute that followed. He continued coolly, "Well, same here, I'm here because I want to earn the right to charm Kamiya-san..", he glanced at Kaoru attentively.

Kaoru was positive she was going to faint.

_'Ooo-kay, anytime now', _her conscience pricked her brain.

But that never happened. Before she could think clearly, she turned around, barely mumbling 'excuse me', as she made a mad dash out of that suffocating spot. Thanks to her kenjutsu training since she was a mere kid, she could outrun most people. Before she realized it, she gained quite a distance from the TV studio where she was.

* * *

Overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions, she looked down at herself and laughed as a couple of tears trickled down her face, "Look at me… running around in a stupid flimsy dress in the chilly autumn night, running away from the show, and carrying nothing too.. excellent, Kaoru! You've done yourself proud… Kenshin and Yahiko would be so proud of you!".. she talked to herself, as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"I just want to go home….", she whispered miserably, suddenly realizing the fact that going home is not an option when she has no money to buy her train fare.

Trying to hold back tears of disappointment and frustration, she bit her lower lip and blinked her eyes as she walked in the cool autumn night, trusting her feet to bring her wherever they please.

* * *

Meanwhile..

"But I told you to depart with an earlier train, you didn't listen to me", Yahiko exploded in rage. "Maa, maa.. Yahiko, calm down, we'll never be able to find her if you don't keep your cool", Kenshin sighed warily. He was trying to keep his cool as well, but the teenager seemed to make it more and more difficult..

"Let's just ask someone where the TV studio is", Kenshin said.. but he halted his step completely, causing the teenager to bump into his back.

"What's the matter now?", Yahiko moaned in distress.

"Er, Yahiko, do you know the name of the show?"

Yahiko blinked. Uh…."How the heck am I supposed to remember that!"

Kenshin sighed in defeat. '_Where would she be? How much luck do we have now?'_

Both the redhead and the smaller spiky-haired teenager resumed their paces slowly, not knowing where to go.

"If I knew the son of Oibore Enterprise's going to be involved in that show, I'd do whatever it takes to join in!", one girl said, pouting all the while.

"Did you see how good looking the guy was? And filthy rich too.. It was so lucky of that girl… what's her name?…er.. Ka..ya? Ka.. or u, or something like that…",the group of girls chatted amiably, passing by Kenshin and Yahiko.

_Talking about the luck of the devil.._

Yahiko jumped as if he's just been burned, "Excuse me, you said...Kaoru? Did you talk about the show? **_that_** reality show?"

The girls looked at him strangely,"Uh, yeah… it's called "Extraordinary Joe for Ordinary Girl" special episode…"

Ecstatic to hear the turns of event, he yelped, "Ah, that's it! …Er.. did you say, the girl named Kaoru,.. she actually won?", the teenager blanched.

"…uh um, yeah… she won alright…", one of the girls answered him, puzzled.

"Um, oh, eh..thanks…", he muttered dumbly, then he turned to face a concerned Kenshin. "Did you hear that?", Yahiko wryly asked him.

Kenshin just nodded. He had no more strength to say anything. He felt rather.. numb.

"Darn it, Busu will never come back to us.. she's freaking rich now", Yahiko upsetly mumbled.

"Yahiko….", Kenshin forced himself to say something. The teen's mood seemed to deflate within a few seconds.

"Let's just go back to Tokyo, Kenshin, my sister no longer cares for us, anyway…not once she called us in the past few weeks..", he dejectedly added. Turning around, his pace quickened, leaving the red-head to trail behind in a matter of seconds.

Kenshin let out a deep breath. "Now wait a second, Yahiko… we should"

BUMP

"Ouch… look where you're going!", Yahiko snapped rudely.

"Ah, g..gomen..", a timid voice was heard. She bowed her head curtly.

_'Wait... a she?'. _The girl was wearing a formal gown. _Impossible._

Yahiko narrowed his eyes. Her voice sounded so familiar

'…_could it be?_'

"Busu…?", he called out hesitantly.

The girl whipped her head in utter surprise. "Y..Yahiko? You're in Kyoto? Ken..shin too? My goodness…why..oppffff…" Her slim frame was being embraced tightly by her younger brother.

"Baka Kaoru! Never, never ever do this kind of thing again… we were worried sick about you!… Look at you in a dress..er… why are you here? We just heard you won the competition or something… why are you here by yourself?", Yahiko bombarded her with questions.

Kaoru couldn't be happier to see them both in Kyoto. Her luck seemed to leap up in all of the sudden.

But when Yahiko asked her all those questions, she simply shook her head slowly. "Go..menasai, it was all a mistake.. the stupid show was a mistake… I want to go home…to Tokyo…" her tears once again threatened to fall down._ 'Why do I feel like crying?'_, she thought, thoroughly confused at her own actions.

Kenshin stepped forward to embrace his cousin in a soothing embrace in an attempt to calm her down. It worked. She leaned on his shoulder, half relieved to be finding her siblings in the middle of Kyoto, and half.. _what?_ She wouldn't want to say regret. Kamiya Kaoru didn't regret her decision to run away from that blasted TV show.

Yahiko restrained himself from asking her too many questions for she looked quite distressed. Kenshin did the same. Needless to say, that night, the three of them boarded another train back to Tokyo at once.

* * *

Enishi kicked the door furiously, earning a thoughtful look from Yukishiro Oibore.

"Why are you so upset now? You regretted being in the show?", the older man eyed him cautiously.

"Well.. the show was okay, but I'm losing tonight's victor", he grumpily replied.

"Ah? What has happened?", a concerned look flitted across his wrinkled face.

"The girl's missing, Tou-san… tonight's winner..Kamiya-san"

Looking at his disturbed demeanor, Yukishiro Oibore almost laughed. So, his son has been charmed by the little raven-haired girl…'_Who could've guessed?_ _His icy-cool and indifferent son_, so the tabloids say, _has got a heart after all.._'

_'And here__ they thought that nothing good comes out of reality show…'_ he mused quietly.

"Did she leave anything by any chance?", he asked thoughtfully.

Enishi shrugged his shoulder. "Not sure, she left abruptly while we were still in the studio.. let me ask Kamatari about her belongings", he swiftly walked to the cordless phone set and dialed.

"Oibore Enterprise, Kamatari speaking", a feminine voice answered the call. The rest of the filming crew have departed from the studio, but Oibore's own staff members were still around, looking for the first prize winner who mysteriously disappeared.

"Could you check whether Kamiya Kaoru left anything in her room?", the turquoise-eyed commanded.

"Sure, Yukishiro-san…", she replied dutifully.

Soon enough, Kamatari called back. "Sir, her handbag is still there in her room"

Smirking widely, Enishi said, "Good, bring it here"

* * *

A/N: Uh... this is quite a long fic... to think it was meant to be a one-shot.. hahahha... oh, yeah, sorry, I always seem to make Enishi rather OOC.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: My only consolation is that, I no longer have to write this silly stuff… now that the story is finished. Err.. original characters are Watsuki's. The rest are mine.

* * *

**Chapter IX**

* * *

Tokyo

Everything was back to normal. '_Well, almost_…' Kaoru sighed as she thought of Yahiko's new antic of following her everywhere, just to ensure that Kaoru won't run away anymore. He escorted her to the little café where she performed her part-time job as a café singer, he walked next to her when she went to the market, he was eyeing her when she checked for mails in the mail box. He was simlpy pestering her and Kaoru started to feel annoyed, although she understood his good intention.

Sometimes though, she still felt something was missing, '.._A__n unfinished business'.._

Perhaps one day she would go back to Kyoto and look for that guy, Yukishiro Enishi and apologized for leaving so abruptly without as much as a goodbye bid.

_'Perhaps one day, when her siblings become more lenient towards her once again.__.'_

She was loathe to admit it, but she did feel a string of disappointment tugged at her heart when she first realized that the platinum-haired guy didn't make any effort to run after her. '_Who are you kidding, Kaoru! That guy's just one of the showbiz people.. all they think is how to make more and more money.. he won't be attracted to you! And he's the heir of Oibore Enterprise.. ' _

ha, ha.. more laugh for her..

Still, even if she tried to convince herself that, she could recall the same turquoise-eyed guy bending down to plant a kiss on her forehead, and said, " _..I want to earn the right to charm Kamiya-san_.." her heart fluttered at hearing it.

' _Aaargh… __Baka Kaoru!'_

* * *

Anyway, She had apologized to her siblings when they got back from Kyoto and told them she would never do anything foolish like that again. Kenshin just smiled and patted her on her shoulder lovingly, whilst Yahiko scoffed right away. They have returned to their daily routine; Kenshin as a teacher and tutor of Japanese literature at a small college, Yahiko as an errand-boy at Akabeko restaurant, and Kaoru as a part-time café singer at Yahachi café. Life should be business as usual, but it wasn't the case for Kaoru.

"Oy Busu… you're not going to work?", the little brat that was her brother called out to her. She glared at him, "I am …and for the umpteenth time..don't call me that! Consider yourself lucky I don't bring a bokken with me now..", she warningly said, earning an unrepentant grin on his face. "Aww.. touchy, nee-san?", he teased.

"Whatever… I'll get going now", she turned around in her blue yukata with yellow flower blossoms, not waiting for him to follow suit. After all, she wanted him to cease following her.

Her luck deserted her once again.

"Busu, wait for me!", he called out in front of the entrance to their house.

Kaoru clenched her teeth. Kenshin, their cool-headed mediator was out teaching, and no one was there to calm her down. Kaoru counted to ten to keep her cool. _…Eight, nine.. Ten! _

It simply didn't work.

"Yahiko, stop following me around. I know where I'm going, and didn't I promise I will never go to Kyoto anymore!", she pouted in her anger. Her delicate face was outraged, her expressive pair of azure orbs display great speckles of fire in them, her silky raven bangs swung abruptly as she turned her head to warn him.

"Dare I say I'd be disappointed at hearing that?", a deep voice remarked, halting the two siblings.

Yahiko was so surprised at hearing a stranger voice butting in their conversation.

Kaoru froze in her rage. As if in trance, the two siblings turned around to see a tall guy standing casually against a wooden post a few metres away.

The same teasing turquoise eyes, the same striking platinum bangs, the same mischievous smirk, and the glinting of the now familiar looking earring came back to her, overwhelming her senses.

She didn't know whether she should smile or frown at seeing him.

Yahiko was struck speechless as he saw the guy approached them, and bringing forth a great big bouquet of cream colored jasmine and pink freesias to thrust into Kaoru's hands.

"Tell me you weren't serious when you said that, Kamiya…san", he leaned closer to her, ignoring the teenager completely.

"Ah, eh.. Yukishiro-san? I.. why are you here?", she looked down at the beautiful bouquet in her hands and looked up with a questioning expression in her face.

"Why, I'm visiting up my girlfriend in Tokyo, what else…", he shrugged casually, smiling widely now.

"Oh… I.. I see", her heart plummeted downwards at hearing his reply.

'_See, baka! he has a girlfriend and even admits it openly..'_

"Um… then, why..why are you here..?", Kaoru asked him.

Yahiko was still speechless, watching his sister converse with the stranger. '_She knew him!' _A curious look suddenly was on his face.

A fleeting smile was displayed on his lips as he gently said, "Let's go, come with me..", avoiding her question, he took her wrist and pulled her with him. Kaoru was wide-eyed. '_What does he have in mind..?'_

Yahiko snapped out from his spell-bound state of being.

"Waitaminit, Mister! Who are you, and what are you doing to my sister? Let her go at once!", every chivalric bone in his body screamed out to the stranger. He was vast regretting his decision of not bringing his bokken along this time. '_But now it'll be too late to get it'.._ he quickly reasoned.

Casting him an amused look, Enishi turned to her, "Your brother?"

Kaoru simply nodded. Slightly embarrassed at his outburst and her, earlier on. "Ah, Yukishiro-san.. pardon me, I have to go to work..I will be late otherwise". She wriggled her wrist from his grip, immediately regretting the loss of warmth.

He angled his head casually, "Let me escort you, then", he offered simply, like it was the most natural thing to say.

Yahiko fumed at being ignored. "Hey, I asked you question! And no, you can not escort her, it is my job", he replied contemptuously.

The platinum-haired guy looked at him half-heartedly as he said "Well, I will take your sister to her workplace, I'm her friend, and will not kidnap her…although I'd love to. I'll bring her back safely after she finished working", he added with a smirk, toying with the teenager's already pricked emotion. To Yahiko, It was not convincing at all, and he still showed an undeterred look on his face.

Anxious as she was getting late, Kaoru spoke up, "For goodness' sake, Yahiko, I'm going to be late!", she frowned at him, then turned to her platinum-haired acquaintance, "And Yukishiro-san, you don't have to escort me.", she said meekly. He shrugged yet again, "I don't have anything better to do now"

Hesitantly, she nodded, thrusting the bouquet to Yahiko's hands, she told him, "Please help me put this in a vase, Yahiko.. I'm off to work now"

With that, the two of them walked side by side to Yahachi café.

Yahiko eyed the bouquet with disdain, then he looked at the two, feeling useless out of the sudden.

With a frown, he watched them disappearing at the corner of the street.

* * *

Meanwhile..

…. "You're a part-time singer, aren't you?", his voice was heard.

Kaoru nodded mutely, then she looked up, remembering something "You haven't told me how you're able to find me here..", she said in a curious tone.

"Oh, you left your bag in Kyoto..if you remember that".. he smirked at seeing her bowing her head in embarrassment.

_Drat… I'm such a baka! _"Um.. Yukishiro-san.. I apologize for running away from the show back then.. ", she said in a small voice.

He smiled at her, "Why must you bear with formalities, you can call me Enishi, and don't be troubled, it was difficult to talk to someone like Takani-san"

_Ah.. there goes her name again.. the bitchy lady.._

She stayed silent for the rest of their walk. "Ah, here we are, thank you for your kindness and the beautiful bouquet, E..Enishi-san.. and please say hi to your… girlfriend…" she bowed courteously.

There was a slight pang of some unnamed emotion as she said it.

'_This can't be jealousy! I am not jealous!'_

_'Oh, I'm talking to myself.. how fabulous!' _Kaoru cursed silently.

"Oh, I have plenty of time still…I'll send you in there…", he replied coolly.

Kaoru gulped as she let him in.

'_Who was she to tell him off.. He has every right to go to whenever he pleases..__'_

She was preparing her favorite song to sing tonight, and as she was walking to the humble stage, she glanced at the crowd of the café that night, and saw her platinum-haired company smiling at her from a table close to the stage. Blushing furiously, she threw her glance elsewhere as she gripped her microphone tighter.

"Good evening, ladies and gents.. thank you for coming to Yahachi! tonight I will sing for you my favourite song. Then, if you would like to request songs, you're most welcome to.."

Clearing her throat and inhaling a deep breath nervously, she opened her mouth to sing a familiar tune that was one of her favorites..

…

atarashii doa akete shiranai basho e dete  
shimatte mo watashi wa watashi da to ii kiru kara  
soko ga donna basho demo ikinuite miseru yo  
isshou ni ichido no tatakaiidomu tame

kako wa kitto ima to wa kurabe mono ni naranai  
da kedo ima ni mirai ga kateru wake ja nai sa

tsugi no shingou ao ni nattara hashiridasu koto ni kimeta n da  
kiiro ni natte aka de tomatte kokoro no junbi wa ii kai?  
...

Her voice was like a beautiful tinkling of bells that awed the crowd. And Enishi smiled as he observed her from afar, looking at her expressive azure eyes from behind his dark shades.

During the course of the night, she saw that girls were trying to flock at his table, busy trying to strike a conversation with the enigmatic man. He rejected all their advances, Kaoru noted, by saying something, and placing what looked like a photo by his side.

_That must be his girlfriend.. _ she thought quietly, not wanting to delve deeper into the topic.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, the platinum-haired guy glared daggers at the guys who were trying to check out the singer in blue yukata. He was quite relieved, that by the end of her shift, he was there to accompany her. Somehow, her little brother was right. She needed an escort quite badly. He smirked at his own thought. He took the photograph back into his wallet as he stood up to approach her.

* * *

10.00 pm, outside Yahachi Café..

"Thank you, Enishi-san for coming… ah..anou, is your girlfriend not upset that you haven't come to see her yet? It is rather late…", she commented, mentally kicking herself for her own comment as soon as it left her lips._ 'Why can't you just mind your own business, Kaoru? Stop asking him.. '_

Enishi grinned as he saw the girl in pure distress. He decided to tease her a little more. "Well, I don't know, really, would she be angry at me?"

Kaoru blinked in surprise. '_Why is he asking me such ridiculous..'_

"mmm.. I guess I gotta ask her then… ", he added lazily, with both hands clasped behind his spiky head.

"Ne, Kaoru, are you angry at me for being here tonight?", he smiled a roguishly devastating smile that melted her heart to a gooey puddle of warmth.

_'Nani?', _she shot him a confused look. "Un…anou… no, no…it's not what I meant, Yuki…Enishi-san.."

"Then she's not angry, right!", he winked playfully.

Knotting her brows in confusion, she forced herself to say, "Uh, Enishi-san.. I don't understand.."

Her sentence was halted in mid-air as Enishi's figure suddenly loomed over hers, leaning closer to her, making her back down in surprise. "Me neither….", he said as his face suddenly come down right before her, and his lips claimed hers gently.

She was astounded beyond belief.

…..

….

'_Why? Why did he kiss me?_, she heard herself ponder.. _not that she should complain_… then she could ponder no more for the intensity of his kiss took all her brain power away.

'_And he smelled nice… like Aqua.. by Hugo Boss.._ '

She latched herself to the guy in front of her as he drew her closer, one strong arm snaking around her waist and the other stroking her face ever so gently.

"Enishi-san…?", she questioned, still dazed by their shared kiss earlier.

"You insist on formalities, Kaoru… why?", he asked in an amused tone.

Kaoru didn't answer him. '_How could she not, he has a girlfriend_.. _although that kiss was nice_…'

'_Kami, and she let him kiss her like that? On the street? In Tokyo? She must be going crazy… What if his girlfriend come and find out… Why the heck did he kiss her anyway?'_ Realization dawned on her and she paled considerably.

"I.. ah…I have to go…goodbye Enishi-san… ", she said, almost choking.

He snatched one of her wrists to hold her still. "Are you scared of me?"

'_No, I don't want your girlfriend to find out, you dolt!'_

She whipped her head, blurting out.."I…why did you kiss me? What if your girlfriend saw? I ..ah…never mind…" her face turning scarlet as she blurted it all out. Enishi was chuckling now. He was trying to stop when he saw her eyes sparked fire in them.

"Is it funny for you? You like making fun of me, don't you?", her voice has got an edge of bitterness in it, causing him to stop completely.

"No, it's not that..and before you complain some more.. ", he ducked his head to seal her lips with his once again.

"Uh…your..girlfriend..is waiting…", Kaoru started lamely, desperately wanting to say something.

"Right in front of me", he added, smiling widely, scattering little kisses on her cheek, nose and forehead.

"And I… huh, wha…what?", blinking furiously, her eyes rounded up cutely.

"I said you are my girlfriend.. why did it take you so long to get it? You do live in Tokyo, right?" he said jokingly.

Kaoru scowled at him, "But…how…the photo?"

His smile grew wider as he took out the photo he has been showing all night to the girls that had them backing down successfully.

Her breath hitched as he showed her…

It was her_… Oh, it was her alright, looking gloriously upset as Hiko took a shot of her face. _

_'Kami, what an embarrassment! That.. stupid man, give this stupid photo to…' _Her face was turning scarlet as the realization dawned. _'He has been showing **that **photo to everyone?'_

She was supposed to be very angry now. She was supposed to strike his face with all of her strength for all the embarrassment he and his organization had caused her.

_But, why, this fluttering feeling wouldn't stop? _

_Why did she feel her strength is quickly draining away? _

She was really trying to say something, but his forefinger was quickly put atop her lips.

"Don't think you could get away from me now, Kamiya Kaoru.. I'm an extraordinary Joe, after all"…..he smirked arrogantly.

Kaoru couldn't believe her ears. '_He said..what?' _

Casually, he draped his right arm around her shoulder, bringing her close to him.

"So.. I have to know… What should I do to win your heart, Kamiya Kaoru?", he asked, bestowing her with the most beautiful of smiles.

She caught her breath and unwittingly, a sheepish smile flitted across her lips.

"Nothing, just get me out of reality show, and I actually want a real ordinary Joe… not a fake one"

Enishi smirked condescendingly. "Sorry, can't doit, that's my father's business, not mine...but I'm real enough.."

Kaoru grinned despite herself.. "Get rid of that photo then…", she added in a small voice.

" I can't do that either, that is my most favorite piece…" he admitted with a naughty grin.

…

She smirked at his reply.

"So, is that a yes?", he asked teasinglywhile he gently pulled her closer.

_'Later, maybe later, she would think how she could get this lucky_..'

_'Later.. she would think how to explain all this to her siblings..' _

But in the meantime, only one thing crosses her mind.

'_Sometimes… reality TV is for real…'_ she thought, smiling widely as she nodded her head.

* * *

**VOCAB:**

I open a new door into a place I don't know.  
Even if I close it I'm still myself, so  
no matter what kind of place it is, I'll show you that I can survive.  
To have a once in a lifetime challenge.

The past isn't something you compare to the present.  
But the future can't beat the present either.

I've decided to zoom off when the next light turns green.  
It turns yellow, and stops at red. Am I ready for this?

**(Signal by Ayumi Hamasaki)**

A/N: Alright, done!Please review, your reviewis much appreciated.. Sorry, I left it rather open-ended at the end, to let your own imagination roam free. If you want me to write more about this E/K adventure with a slight Kenshin in it as a continuation, let me know. I'm open to suggestion.


End file.
